Bonnie J.K. Frantz

Bonnie and Alan Frantz are proud ISU alumni with deep roots and decades of service to the university. Bonnie earned her M.Ed. in Occupational Training Management in 1996. Alan received a B.S. in Secondary Education in 1980, majoring in German and minoring in Music. They met at ISU when Bonnie chaired the ASISU Student Organization Committee and Alan served as faculty representative.
A Minnesota native, Bonnie began her career in art education and university student services before joining ISU in 1987 as Assistant Director of the Pond Student Union. Over her 24-year career, she oversaw facility and budget management, advised ASISU, and played key roles in student development, engagement, and major facility expansions. She helped create the Bennion Student Union in Idaho Falls, the Student Activities annex, and the Student Union portion of the Rendezvous Building. Bonnie also founded numerous programs, including the ISU Reading Project and Human Rights Celebration, and was honored with the 2011 Outstanding Service in Human Relations Award by the City of Pocatello.
Alan, a fourth-generation Bengal, interrupted his ISU studies to serve in the U.S. Army as a woodwind specialist in Germany, where he also advanced his language studies. After earning a master’s in German from Indiana University and teaching high school, he returned to ISU in 1987 to join the Foreign Language Department. He then completed a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration (University of
Denver) and served in a wide range of academic leadership roles at ISU, including Assistant Dean of the
College of Arts & Sciences, Director of Teacher Education, University Registrar, Faculty Senate Chair, and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs. He retired in 2020 but remains active in supporting the university.